Yes, it actually works quite well for this pizza in terms of the quality of the pizza. The only issue with them is the 1-1/8" depth. Certainly not the deepest. Depending upon how much oil you use, you can get some dripping out into the oven & some smoking. I only use 1-1/2oz of oil in the pan these days so if you season them well and just use that little bit you'd probably not have a problem with overflow while baking.

Awesome thread! After reading over the thread a few times I was wondering if you would mind addressing some of my questions below? Thanks!!

1. In post #21 you state that one 28oz can of crushed tomatoes will top (4) 12x17 pans of pizza. In post #122 you say one can will do (3) pizzas. Is it safe to assume post #122 is what you’re currently recommending?

2. In post #13 Apuleius (ex VP employee) states that “the sauce was equal parts cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, into which an additional can of water was added, along with equal parts sugar and salt, and black pepper in smaller quantity”. Have you tried the sauce this way; does his claim have merit?

3. I’m using your method of pan seasoning mentioned in post #128 (Crisco, upside down at 250 for 2-3hrs). After the first go-thru the pan came out pretty tacky (able to leave fingerprints). Is this normal after the first go-thru; how should I proceed?

4. In one of your posts you eluded to the possibility of opening up your own shop one day. I was wondering if there has been any movement on that front for you?

BTW, Northern Pizza Equipment is no longer selling blue steel pans. The following is a response I received when I inquired as to when they might get more 12x17’s in stock.

Response: I am sorry to say that the Blue Steel Pans will no longer be available. According to our vendor, the manufacture will no longer be making them, due to a shortage of the blue steel.

Awesome thread! After reading over the thread a few times I was wondering if you would mind addressing some of my questions below? Thanks!!

1. In post #21 you state that one 28oz can of crushed tomatoes will top (4) 12x17 pans of pizza. In post #122 you say one can will do (3) pizzas. Is it safe to assume post #122 is what you’re currently recommending?

I normally get 3 trays from a 28 oz can. 4 must have been a typo on my part. You can try to stretch it because there is a bit left over after 3 trays but I don't know if you'd get enough sauce on each doing that.

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2. In post #13 Apuleius (ex VP employee) states that “the sauce was equal parts cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, into which an additional can of water was added, along with equal parts sugar and salt, and black pepper in smaller quantity”. Have you tried the sauce this way; does his claim have merit?

Never tried this. I always went by the fact that the sauce always taste like crushed tomatoes w/ onions it it to me so that's what I used. I use tomato paste to put together quick sauces for my cooking quite often so I'm not surprised that they might do that. Tomato paste & water is a lot cheaper than cans of crushed tomatoes and does give a real tomato flavor. They're making it on a much larger scale than me so if they can save money doing it that certainly flows to their bottom line.

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3. I’m using your method of pan seasoning mentioned in post #128 (Crisco, upside down at 250 for 2-3hrs). After the first go-thru the pan came out pretty tacky (able to leave fingerprints). Is this normal after the first go-thru; how should I proceed?

Yes, this is normal. Until you make in it with oil at least once it will feel sticky. That's OK because what you're trying to do with the seasoning is fill the microscopic pits in the surface of the pan with fat to seal them up & prevent sticking. It will take a few times baking in it to really harden the coating. I also always leave a coating of oil in my pans, not so much that it puddles but enough so that they're always oily inside. I wipe them out before using it & putting fresh oil in so I don't get any rancid oil flavors in the pan when I bake.

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4. In one of your posts you eluded to the possibility of opening up your own shop one day. I was wondering if there has been any movement on that front for you?

No interest at this point. I'm currently retired (not my choice) & plan to move to the western slope of Colorado (Durango) in about 16 months. Having started (and failed) a previous business, I learned that the quickest way to learn to hate something you love is to try to turn it into a business. Perhaps if I could do it on a small scale I would consider it but right now I just love baking it for family & friends.

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BTW, Northern Pizza Equipment is no longer selling blue steel pans. The following is a response I received when I inquired as to when they might get more 12x17’s in stock.

Response: I am sorry to say that the Blue Steel Pans will no longer be available. According to our vendor, the manufacture will no longer be making them, due to a shortage of the blue steel.

If anyone finds another outlet please let me know!

That's too bad. They have always been hard to find. I bought mine at PA Products in Livonia, MI. Maybe they were the supplier to Northern Pizza Eqpt but I don't really know that for sure. If they still make them, you'll have to buy a dozen at a time but they were not expensive at about $8 each. Try them: http://www.paprod.com/pans.html They still show them on their web site.

Anyway, thanks for participating in the thread. It took me a long tome to really figure out this pizza and a number of people who have had both actually seem to like mine better. The last few times I was at VP, the pizza was just so-so. They don't seem to let the crust rise as much anymore. They must be in a hurry to make it as fast they can I guess. It sure is nice too know that I can have it any time I want though. I'll be making two trays tonight, one regular red tray and & one white w/ broccoli & garlic tray.

BTW, I've calculated the nutrition info on the pizza based upon my recipe & each tray has 2,763 calories total so based upon 16 cuts per tray (I've been cutting them smaller lately), each cut is 2763/16= 173 calories per cut. I'd have to go back thru my notes to find the rest of the nutritional info but I know I have it somewhere.

BTW, I've calculated the nutrition info on the pizza based upon my recipe & each tray has 2,763 calories total so based upon 16 cuts per tray (I've been cutting them smaller lately), each cut is 2763/16= 173 calories per cut. I'd have to go back thru my notes to find the rest of the nutritional info but I know I have it somewhere.

steel_baker,

Would you mind telling me if you are using an online tool somewhere to calculate the nutrition information and, if so, where it is? I recently started testing such a tool at the nutritiondata.self.com website at http://nutritiondata.self.com/, but you have to register to use it. Its database is lacking in some areas but it seems to do a reasonable job. It seems to me that a member of the PMQ Think Tank provided a link to another such tool but I was not able to find it.

Would you mind telling me if you are using an online tool somewhere to calculate the nutrition information and, if so, where it is? I recently started testing such a tool at the nutritiondata.self.com website at http://nutritiondata.self.com/, but you have to register to use it. Its database is lacking in some areas but it seems to do a reasonable job. It seems to me that a member of the PMQ Think Tank provided a link to another such tool but I was not able to find it.

Peter

No, nothing like that Peter. I simply took the nutrition info from the ingredient packaging & totaled it.

Thanks for the info. I'm currently seasoning the blue steel pan I have, and look forward to trying my hand with s_b's VP recipe. I'll post some pics when and if I get something worthy!

Happy eatin',James

Enjoy. Once you really get practiced at making this pizza, it is just superb. What's really neat is that it's so unique that virtually nobody outside of NE PA has ever had it before and they really enjoy the different taste. I have started to experiment with the crust and I now prefer to use 10-12g of molasses instead of sugar when making the dough and it really makes a difference flavor & browning. I won't do it any other way now. Because I usually weigh everything right into the mixer bowl, I goofed on my second dough ball yesterday and ended up with 17 grams of molasses in it instead of 10-12g. Once you start pouring the molasses, you can't stop it immediately so you have to stop pouring before you hit your target weight to give it time to stop pouring out. I waited too long apparently. Since the water is the first ingredient in & molasses right into that there was nothing I could do so I just kept adding ingredients. You should have seen the big bubbly proofing I got from that with all of that molasses in it. It still turned out great but I had to really knock it down quite a bit before I could top it. I had to pop all of the big bubbles with a toothpick.

I've also found that I now weigh & pre-package my cheese & sauce so that the flavor & balance is consistent from tray to tray. That way it's always "my" pizza and I don't have any issues with "good tray" vs a "bad tray". I do the weighing and prepackaging earlier in the day when I mix the cheese blend, make the sauce, and make the dough. Just a little tip if you decide to ever do a broccoli tray, I've found that the frozen boxes of chopped broccoli are the perfect size for topping one tray. It's already chopped & I thaw it, throw it in a pan with some minced garlic & a Tbsp or two of EV olive oil, then warm it up a bit & let it sit for an hour or so. That way the oil is infused with that garlic goodness and you have a nice blend of broccoli, garlic & oil to top the crust. The order of topping on the broccoli tray is to first salt the crust as always, then spread the broccoli/oil/garlic mixture on, then the cheese.

Over time, I'll continue to experiment with other toppings, but I must say that the original "red" trays still seem to be everyone's favorite.

Steel Baker and Victory Pig fans! In today's Parade magazine ( a common Sunday paper insert ), Victory Pig is listed as one of America's best slice! The article is not in depth, and tastes are subjective, but it was fun to see!

Steel Baker and Victory Pig fans! In today's Parade magazine ( a common Sunday paper insert ), Victory Pig is listed as one of America's best slice! The article is not in depth, and tastes are subjective, but it was fun to see!

Cool! But then when you grow up with it, you always think that it's one of the best.

Ironic though that the recipe they posted for it is one that I dismissed years ago after finding it on the web. Muenster cheese? Really?

I've had it confirmed numerous times that VP uses 100% Wisconsin White Cheddar on their pizza, sliced paper thin on a meat slicer and layered on top of the tomatoes & onions.

I made the dough recipe on wed, took it out of the fridge on Friday at 2pm and baked it around 6pm, this time I made a change in the sauce and it was out of this world, if anyone wants to try the Sicilian sauce recipe here it is, I had most of the same guest and everyone said it was the best tasting sauce to date.

1 can Classico crushed 28oz2 heaping TBLS of tomato paste2 cloves of grated garlic2 TBLS of grated onion1 or 2 TBLS olive oil1/8 tsp oregano1/4 tsp basil1 tsp sugar ( I used 2 tsp was a spec sweet, but excellent) I put the olive oil in a sauce pan. added the onions & garlic simmered 3-4 minutes added the other ingredients mixed and set for 6 hrs on the counter.

Here's two pictures of my first tray after the pan seasoning process, which went well, and the pan is starting to turn more black after being used. I didn't follow the recipe to the tee as I was just interested in testing out the pan, but what I ended up with smelled & tasted very similiar to the real thing! I can't wait to use s_b's recipe! I'm excited!!

I have started to experiment with the crust and I now prefer to use 10-12g of molasses instead of sugar when making the dough and it really makes a difference flavor & browning. I won't do it any other way now. Because I usually weigh everything right into the mixer bowl, I goofed on my second dough ball yesterday and ended up with 17 grams of molasses in it instead of 10-12g.

s_b

Yes, I prefer your dough recipe with 18 grams of Cane Sugar, or whatever type of sugar you like. Seems to taste and brown better...and to me, the bottom is more crispy.

That's outstanding Chet. That loaf looks wonderful. I've often thought of putting together a batch of dough just for loaves or breadsticks. That loaf looks so good I'll probably try it sooner rather than later.

I forgot to ask you if the salt that is used in the dough is Kosher salt (since that is what you put on the dough when in the pan) and, if so, what brand?

Also, have you ever practiced your recipe using a round pan, like a deep-dish pan?

Peter

Sorry but round pizzas are a no-no in NEPA! Rectangular is the standard and the "trays" (not pies!) of about 12-14 "cuts" (not slices!) usually come in half of a shirt box covered in a very thin flat brown paper bag if pickup/to-go.

Do you have any suggestions for me if I make another attempt at your clone Victory Pig pizza? I don’t know if you might have seen something I did wrong in the pictures I posted. My bottom crust wasn’t really crunchy. Do you have any suggestions how to get my bottom crust crunchy?

No matter what I try my dough ends up soaking up all of the peanut oil in the pan and the dough is perfect around the edges, but moist and sticky in the middle of the pan with no browning or crispiness.

From what I've read, I should have a third of the oil remaining in the pan...not for me. I put the oil in the pan, let the dough rise in the pan twice and when the pizza is cooked the oil is gone. The dough sucks it all up.

I baked at 475 degrees and put the blue steel pan right on top of a line of fire bricks that I use in the bottom rack of my oven for baking sourdough bread and Neopolitan pizzas.

I grew up in NE PA and love Victory Pig style pizza. When my mom died we ordered over 100 cuts from Ceccoli's (same family, same recipe, as VP, but made in the Parsons section of WB) for the wake. My family obsesses over pizza at family reunions, and I would love to be able to duplicate this recipe at gome.

I also live in Vietnam right now, so can't just drive to WB or Victory Pig to pick up 60 cuts for a party, so any suggestions you can give me are greatly appreciated.

Have never had that issue before. Don't what the issue might be. It's a fairly high hydration dough at 67%. I haven't had any problems with a soggy center or all of the oil being soaked up by the dough. I made it this past friday and the dough sat in the pan for 6 hrs before I knocked it down the first time. Still, that tray came out of the oven beautifully. Crisp & brown on the bottom with plenty of oil left in the pan. I measure 1.5oz into the pan before putting the dough in and that's the only oil I use.

The only thing that may be happening (that I can think of) is that perhaps your firebricks on the bottom don't have an even temp distribution for some reason. Some spots are cooler or hotter than others. If you had a laser thermometer you could measure that and see if there were any differences. That may not be a problem with items that are baked directly on the bricks but maybe for some reason, baking on them in a pan is different.

I am not sure about the protein content, but the flour I use here is labeled "bread flour." not many flour choices here - bread flour, all purpose and self rising. I have used it for sour dough bread, baguettes and other breads with no problem. I have access to King Arthur flour online that I can order. Would the protein content make a difference?